Newbie

[diddymai]

Type 2 since Jan this year.....new here. Living in France but British.
🙂

 

[Inka]

Lucky you! The ‘living in France’ bit not the diabetes Are you on any medication?

 

[diddymai]

Lucky you! The ‘living in France’ bit not the diabetes Are you on any medication?

yep Metformin 100 mg

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome

Would you like to tell us a bit more about how you came to be diagnosed, your HbA1c reading which is the test which is used to diagnose you. Here in the UK it would be a number of 48 or more measured in mmol/mol but in France it may be expressed as a percentage or mg/dl which I believe they also use in the USA.
Also, have they prescribed you any medication and if so, what and how are you managing with it?

Many of us find that lifestyle changes and in particular a lower carb diet and daily walking are more powerful than almost any medication in helping to manage diabetes, so that is something to consider if you haven't done so already.

Hope you find the forum as helpful as I have in understanding and managing this condition. Please feel free to ask any question you have, no matter how basic or daft it may seem... There may well be more than one answer and finding the correct one thant works for you is one of the key things with diabetes because we are all quite individual in how our diabetes responds and you need to become the expert in your unique diabetes, so being open to experimenting is a key aspect of good diabetes management to find out what works for you.

 

[diddymai]

Hi and welcome

Would you like to tell us a bit more about how you came to be diagnosed, your HbA1c reading which is the test which is used to diagnose you. Here in the UK it would be a number of 48 or more measured in mmol/mol but in France it may be expressed as a percentage or mg/dl which I believe they also use in the USA.
Also, have they prescribed you any medication and if so, what and how are you managing with it?

Many of us find that lifestyle changes and in particular a lower carb diet and daily walking are more powerful than almost any medication in helping to manage diabetes, so that is something to consider if you haven't done so already.

Hope you find the forum as helpful as I have in understanding and managing this condition. Please feel free to ask any question you have, no matter how basic or daft it may seem... There may well be more than one answer and finding the correct one thant works for you is one of the key things with diabetes because we are all quite individual in how our diabetes responds and you need to become the expert in your unique diabetes, so being open to experimenting is a key aspect of good diabetes management to find out what works for you.

Hi yes, in France the limit line is HbA1c reading of 42 or more (percentage of 6% or above). I was diagnosed last January after being pre-diabetic for several months. I started immediately on Metformin 500 mg twice daily and after only one month this was raised to 100 mg twice daily. I walk between 2 and 3 times a day at least 20 to 30 min - I even adopted a puppy last year to get me out and more active. I also have ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) having had a heart attack in Dec 2018 followed with a double by pass in Feb 2019. So I am trying hard to change things with diet etc since then anyway but it has not been easy.

 

[ianf0ster]

Many people find that reducing carbs works better then either exercise or metformin (for some even better than glic or SGLT2s).

Do you have a Blood Glucose meter in order to test your body's reaction to what you eat?

 

[diddymai]

Hi..no I dont have anything for measuing. Not really discussed it with my GP as she seems to think it's still early days I guess and the Metformin seems to be controling my levels.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @diddymai

Glad the metformin is helping - it works by increasing your insulin sensitivity, and by reducing glucose output from the liver so can really help with blood glucose management ‘in the background’ to give your body a hand dealing with glucose in the blood.

It’s not essential, but many members of the forum find it helpful to be able to see the differing effects of various amounts and sources of carbohydrate on their levels using a BG meter, to get some detail between their occasional HbA1c checks.

All carbohydrates (not just sugars) are converted to glucose in the blood, and different people react quite differently to the same foods, so it can really help to be able to check things for yourself. You can take a BG reading just before eating and again 2hrs later, and aim for a rise of no more than 2-3mmol/L (35-55mg/dl) between the two. If you see much bigger rises, take a look at the type and amount of carbohydrate in the meal and either reduce the portion size, or try swapping for a different source.

There are also nifty swaps you can try like cauliflower ‘rice’ and mashed celeriac which can lower the BG impact of various meals.

It might help to keep a food diary for a week or two, to identify your overall total carbohydrate intake in meals, snacks and drinks. Then you’ll be able to see where the main sources are for you.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

 

[diddymai]

Many thanks for all that info. What BG kits would you recommend? Do they all use the same method of pricking a finger?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Many thanks for all that info. What BG kits would you recommend? Do they all use the same method of pricking a finger?

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50.

Most will come with a lancing device ‘finger pricker’ in the box with the meter, and some are more comfortable than others. You can but them separately (Accu-chek / Roche ones have a very good reputation). Most are fine if they have depth adjustment so you can set them up to only prick to the minimum depth required.

When taking a sample, it’s best to use the sides of fingertips, not too close to the nail. These areas have fewer nerve endings than the ’fingerprint’ area which is more sensitive to touch. You also have two sides to each finger, so more areas to rotate around 🙂

 

[diddymai]

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50.

Most will come with a lancing device ‘finger pricker’ in the box with the meter, and some are more comfortable than others. You can but them separately (Accu-chek / Roche ones have a very good reputation). Most are fine if they have depth adjustment so you can set them up to only prick to the minimum depth required.

When taking a sample, it’s best to use the sides of fingertips, not too close to the nail. These areas have fewer nerve endings than the ’fingerprint’ area which is more sensitive to touch. You also have two sides to each finger, so more areas to rotate around 🙂

Many thanks